Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-27
rhe Prune Business.


The following article was prepared by
Mr. S. p. Sladden, to he read before the
Fruit Growers Association, at their re-
cent meeting in this city; but owing to
his absence 1t was not presented as In
tended:
l find that have labored under many
disadvantages in trying to discuss this
prune question without my late business
papers, they all being in Chicago.
Still will try and give You few OF
my personal experiences as dealer
and importer of foreign prunes dur ing
the last twenty years. The prunes OF
foreign growth seen mostly in this
country, are grown in Bosnia, Servia.
Herzegovina and Salonica all depe nden'
cies of Turkey. They are known in our
markets as Turkish prunes. The
Salonicas are the most valuable; next
the B,snias. | have no doubt the
Salonica pruoe would be a great acquisi-
ton to our varieties. 1t isa large meaiy
prune. with a small seed; is free bear.
er, n good keeper, and as sauce is the
best OF the Turkish.
These Turkish prunes find two outlets
by way of the Danube--to Bud
Pesth in Hungary, and to Trieste in Au-
stria. and thence to the United States.
believe we import, on an average, from
100, 900 to 10000 tons annually. l
find that this variety of prunes is sold
and known in Portland as the German
prune. These prunes are cured par.
TALLY in the sun and finished i'll dry
houses and brick aud clay ovens Their
size varies according to the size
of the crop, full crop giving
us the small fruit; hence what
would constitute standard prune one
year would not be q standard for the
next year. Therefore, at a meeting of
the board of trade of Buda Pesth
grade is established for the coming sea.
son of the size that shall constitute
prunes for that crop. | find
the sizes run from 95 to ITO to pound
Of sixteen ounces. Prunes sold or con-
tracted for as standard have to conform
to that size for that season.
These prunes are shipped in hogs
heads weighing about 1900 to 1900
pounds each for all the Turkish varieties
Except the Salonicas, which come in
s.erces Of about 400 to 800 pounds each.
The duty on all prunes is cent per
on plums / believe it is 2 cents.
rhe difference of duty was no doubt
,aused by an oversight in the last revi-
'iou OF the tariff, as the plums are not
worth as much as the prunes.
The average price in New York
or the last six or eight years
or the new crop, during the winter and
,,,r,v,p 10 III IN tNnunI
iuty paid. Taking the charges cut the
price, but little is left for the grower.
First comes the freight to Trieste, say J
,ent per pound, the package the fruit is
here. put in, and commission. say l
cent; freight to New York and insur-
,rce, cent; duty cent; total, 3 cents
eaving only cent for the grower.
The first prunes usually to arrive in
New York are the Bohemian and Hun.
,arian. These are good.looking prune,
nut are always more or less smoHy, and
ire usually sold to dealers who have a
1erman or Bohemian trade, the Ameri-
,ans seldom buying them. The Hun
,arian prunes are about the same variety |
If fruit, but lree of smoke, therefore
bringing better price. averaging q to |
,ent higher than Turkish, and coming in
earlier in the season.
The next prune we have is the |
french, the first of the crop (the Wind
alls) coming to this country in advance
# any other prunes. These Windfall
,runes are poor, coming in kegs of
bout $50 pounds each, and running 100
O ITO prunes to a pound. They are
,acked in an attractive manner, and
renee usually bring more than they are
worth. Later iu the season we get the |
french prunes of better quality and
,acked in a variety of shapes. They |
re in about fifty pound cases, kegs and
mall fancy boxes, tins and paper boxes,
With glass tops, and also glass jars.
he size. That packed In cases runs 40
o 80 to pound; 60 to 65, 20 to rs, so
o So, and 80 to 95, the 40 to 45 being
bo-t tho size OF our best Italian. This
ear they are worth in New York l3 to
4 cents per pound, the smaller sizes
elling as low as ana cents. That
ruit packed in fancy boxes and glass
eing generally 40 to 45 cents, and is
sed east as we eat the Smyrna fig,
ringing the same price, aud sometimes
nore.
The Italian prunes are mostly grown
q the northern part OF Lombardy, near
nd in the foothills, but are mostly
ured and used as prunelles. The prune
f Italy is not known as an article of
xport. 1t resembles the Salonica
rune, and is quite unlike our italian
rune of Oregon. This Jour Italian
runel am somewhat acquainted with
nder another name and coming from
mother country, but wherever it came
rom consider it, as an article of dried
rune, superior to any l have seen in ,
ny European country, except some OF
he best French. l believe our road to
lccess lies in the cultivation of large
.uit of our best varieties. The silver
rune. or Goes golden drop. have dried,
lnuing nineteen prunes to the pound.
uch fruit will always command good
rice.
Our fruit men, those who dry the fruit,
ave much to learn in the art of pre-.
airing their product. The French man
ge in some manner to retain the bloom
n the fruit after it goes through the
rying process. Again, the fruit packed
Or eating as confection. without addi.
ional cooking. is in some manner pre-.
ared before the drying so as to deprive
he prune of part of its covering,